National Letter of Intent (NLI)
The National Letter of Intent (NLI) is the binding agreement a recruit signs to commit to a specific college in exchange for an athletic scholarship. Once signed, the athlete is bound to that school for one year, and other schools must stop recruiting them.
The NLI is the formal, binding step — a verbal commitment is not. Until the NLI is signed during a signing period, neither the athlete nor the school is bound, and a verbal commitment can change.
Signing an NLI locks in the athletic aid for one academic year. The scholarship amount and terms are specified in the agreement, so families should read the document carefully before signing.
Once an athlete signs an NLI, other participating schools must immediately stop recruiting them. This is the protective mechanism that makes the NLI binding — it ends the recruiting process for that athlete.
There are signing periods — an early signing period in the fall and a regular signing period in the spring — during which an NLI can be signed. Outside of these windows, an athlete can still verbally commit but cannot sign the binding document.
An NLI includes a release clause: if a coach leaves or the program changes in defined ways, the athlete may request a release. Without a release, transferring after signing can mean sitting out a year. Families should understand the release terms before signing.